Bike Kill

I am often attracted by what repulses or scares others. Although I look quite common, I identify with those who don’t quite fit into society and I would like to help give them a voice. For that reason, I have been documenting a number of subcultures.

For about two years, I followed The Black Label Bike Club, known as the first “outlaw bicycle club.” It was created in 1992 in Minneapolis, MN and has chapters nationwide. They are one of the main contributors to the rise of tall bike culture and organize jousting competitions. It is interesting to see this rebel culture revolving around such a non-threatening object: the bicycle.

In a society that pushes us to consume, focus on money and overly use technology, this group of young people resists and fights against it. Their community is mainly based on bike culture, art and the real value of human relationships. Although they seem to be the carefree, self-destroying youth, they are quite aware of the situation today. As everyone, they love, hate, and also have their fears and concerns.

I keep having this thought that creative minds used to gather to share their ideas; yet today, the youth seems uninspired and disengaged. Through the story of the Black Label Bike Club I want to show that there are alternate ways to the norm, by creating rich inspiring environments.

“It was better ten years ago” is what we, young people, hear all the time. But it only depends on us, on what we are going to make of the future.

About the photographer

Julie Glassberg was born and raised in Paris, France. After studying graphic design for four years, she decided to make her passion for photography become her life. Her interests are primarily based on the diversity of world cultures, subcultures, underground scenes as well as the misfits of society.

Julie is currently based in New York City. She regularly works for the New York Times and has a weekly column in the Sunday paper with reporter Corey Kilgannon: ”Character Study”. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The International Herald Tribune, Le Monde, Neon Magazine, Stern View, Polka Magazine among others; and various international exhibitions. She has won awards such as a Lucie Scholarship Emerging Grant, a Getty Images Grant for Editorial Photography, a POYi Award of Excellence, Px3, and recently became an ADC Young Guns 9 and a Vienna International Photography Award winner.